Analytical modeling and experimental estimation of the dynamic mechanical characteristics of green composite: Caesalpinia decapetala seed reinforcement

The emerging need for a sustainable environment prompts the research community to develop functional materials with bio- and organic waste. This research advocates biodegradable waste management and its performance evaluation. The involvement of Caesalpinia decapetala (CD) as a potential reinforcement in the epoxy matrix and its analytical evaluation of thermal stability are novel ideas for disposing of bio and organic waste. Three different variants (10, 20, and 30wt%) of CD seed particles are used to develop the epoxy composite, and further, their influence on dynamic mechanical characteristics such as damping type, loss modulus, and storage modulus has been investigated. The results corroborate that the higher CD seed content (30 wt%) in the epoxy matrix enhances the storage modulus, loss modulus, and damping on a scale of 1.14,1.25, and 1.07 times that of the neat epoxy matrix. The reason behind the improved dynamic properties has been validated through theoretical modeling. A substantial increment in the degree of entanglement and activation energy in the band of 8.33 * [10.sup.-3] moles/[m.sup.3] and 20.201 kJ/mol, respectively, in comparison with neat epoxy, is considered to be good authentication for the thermal stability of the CD 30 specimen. The analytical prediction of storage modulus is executed with five different models, whereas damping behavior is executed with two different models. The analytically estimated results are matched with the experimental ones, and we conclude that they are in fair agreement with the experimental findings. KEYWORDS Caesalpinia decapetala seed, damping, loss modulus, storage modulus Highlights * Novel Caesalpinia decapetala (CD) epoxy composite is examined using dynamic mechanical analysis test. * 30 wt% CD composites reveal the highest improvement in storage modulus and damping. * Theoretical modeling to evaluate dispersion effectiveness and degree of entanglement. * Storage modulus and damping are validated with numerous theoretical models.
1 | INTRODUCTION Polymer matrix composites, which are very well known for their exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, were frequently used but had several drawbacks. These drawbacks include being non-renewable, non-recyclable, and [...]